Washblog

"We have pledged to end homelessness in Snohomish County," Executive Aaron Reardon said. "The Point in Time count allows us to identify the scale of local homelessness, measure our progress and put a face to the issue."

The annual count comes on the heels of the convening of the county's Housing & Homelessness Policy Oversight Committee, which has been asked to make suggestions on how best to establish benchmarks for homeless and housing initiatives as well as guide long-term strategies.

In 2006, the county approved the "Everyone At Home Now" report, a strategy for ending homelessness here by 2016. The plan calls for the expansion of affordable housing and homeless prevention services as well as for the development of programs geared toward specific groups.

During the 2007 count, more than 2,600 individuals were estimated to be homeless, not including nearly 350 incarcerated individuals with no identified residence upon release. More than 600 of those counted were homeless veterans. More than one in three homeless individuals was under the age of 18.

"Working together, we can end this cycle of homelessness that affects far too many people in Snohomish County," Reardon said. "Nobody should be without a home."

If you would like to volunteer, contact Sola Plumacher, the count coordinator, at (425) 388-7289. Otherwise, contact one of the count leaders or show up at one of the four staging areas listed below:

          * North County: Anji Jorstad, (425) 349-6835 or
             anji.jorstad@compassh.org. Housing Hope,
             3018 188th St. NE, Arlington.

          * East County: Bill Humphreys, (425) 259-3191 or
             bhumphreys@voaww.org. Take the Next Step,
             202 S. Sams St., Monroe.

          * Central County: Dana Libby, (425) 259-8129 or            
             dana_libby@usw.sarmy.org. The Salvation Army,
             2525 Rucker Ave., Everett.

         *  South County: Mary Anne Dillon, (425) 258-2766 or  
             mdillon@ywcaworks.org. The YWCA,
             6027 208th St. SW, Lynnwood.